Scrub sponge with opposed puncturing projections

ABSTRACT

A scrub sponge comprising, a packet having a rupturable wall and a closed chamber containing a liquid scrub agent, and a cover of foam material having a cavity to receive the packet and enclosing the packet. The sponge has a puncture member intermediate the cover and the packet and having a pair of generally aligned and spaced arms on opposed sides of the packet beneath the cover, and hinge means connecting the arms adjacent one end of the packet. The puncture member has at least one sharp projection on each of the arms directed toward the packet to pierce the wall when the arms are pressed toward each other to release the scrub agent into the cover, and an opening extending through the arms adjacent each of the projections.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Ser. No. 488,519, filed Apr. 25, 1983.

The present invention relates to surgical devices, and more particularlyto scrub sponges.

Prior to surgery, the operative site is cleaned by hospital personnel inorder to minimize the possibility of contamination around the site.First, a scrub solution comprising a soap or detergent is utilized towash the patient in the region of the operative site after which thescrub solution is removed from the patient. Next, the patient is paintedwith an antiseptic liquid, such as povidone iodine, in the region of thesite. When dry the antiseptic paint provides a continuous protectivefilm in the region of the site, and the surgery is ready to commence.

A scrub sponge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,220, incorporatedherein by reference, which includes a puncture member on one side of arupturable packet. However, it has been discovered that when aprojection on the puncture member pierces the packet it may pass throughthe sponge and scratch the patient when the sponge is used, which ofcourse is undesirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of animproved sponge of simplified construction for scrubbing procedures.

The scrub sponge of the present invention comprises, a packet having arupturable wall and a closed chamber containing a liquid scrub agent,and a cover of foam material having a cavity to receive the packet andenclosing the packet. The sponge has a puncture member intermediate thecover and the packet and having a pair of generally aligned and spacedarms on opposed sides of the packet beneath the cover, and hinge meansconnecting the arms adjacent one end of the packet. The puncture memberhas at least one sharp projection on each of the arms directed towardthe packet, and an opening extending through the arms adjacent each ofthe projections.

A feature of the present invention is that the projection pierces thepuncturable walls when the arms are pressed toward each other.

Another feature of the invention is that the pierced walls release thescrub agent from the packet.

Yet another feature of the invention is that both sides of the packetare ruptured by the opposed arms to release the scrub agent from bothsides of the packet.

Still another feature of the invention is that the openings permitpassage of the scrub agent into the cover.

Yet another feature of the invention is that the cover retains the scrubagent in a position for easy placement on the patient.

Thus, a feature of the present invention is that the scrub agent may bereleased and applied to the patient in a simplified manner.

A further feature of the invention is that the opposed arms prevent theprojections from scratching the patient during use of the sponge.

Further features will become more fully apparent in the followingdescription of the embodiments of this invention and from the appendedclaims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scrub sponge of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the scrub sponge of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the sponge prior to puncture ofa packet in the sponge; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating the sponge after thepacket has been pierced by a puncture member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a scrub sponge generallydesignated 10 having a packet 12, a puncture member 14, and a cover 16.The packet 12 has a pair of side edges 18a and 18b, and a pair of endedges 20a and 20b connecting the side edges 18a and b. The packet 12 hasa front wall 22 and a back wall 24 which are joined at their peripheryto define a chamber 26 intermediate the front and back walls 22 and 24.The front and back walls 22 and 24 are made from a puncturable material,such as a lamination of metallic foil and heat sealable plastic, suchthat the edges of the front and back walls 22 and 24 may be heat sealedtogether to form the chamber 26. The packet 12 contains a liquid scrubagent 28 in the chamber 26, such as a solution of soap or detergent withor without povidone iodine, or a solution containing an antisepticagent, such as povidone iodine.

The cover 16 preferably comprises an absorbent and porous foam material,such as polyurethane foam. In a preferred form, the cover 16 comprisesan elongated strip 30 having a pair of side edges 32a and 32b, and apair of end edges 34a and 34b connecting the side edges 32a and b. Thestrip 30 is folded about a fold line 36 at a longitudinal centralportion of the strip, such that the end edges 34a and 34b are locatedadjacent each other when the strip 30 is folded. The side edge 32a ofthe strip 30 intermediate fold line 36 and the end edges 34a and b arejoined together by suitable means, such as by heat sealing, the sideedge 32b intermediate the fold line 36 and the end edges 34a and b arejoined together by suitable means, such as by heat sealing, and the endedges 34a and b are joined together by suitable means, such as by heatsealing. In this manner, the joined edges of the strip 30 define acavity 38 to receive the packet 12, with the width of the packet betweenthe side edges 18a and b being approximately equal to the width of thecavity 38, and with the length of the packet 12 intermediate the endedges 20a and b being approximately equal to the length of the cavity38. In this configuration, the side edge 18a of the packet 12 is locatedadjacent the side edge 32a of the cover 16, the side edge 18b of thepacket 12 is located adjacent the side edge 32b of the cover 16, the endedge 20a of the packet 12 is located adjacent the joined end edges 34aand b of the cover 16, and the end edge 20b of the packet 12 is locatedadjacent the fold line 36 of the cover 16.

The puncture member 14 may be formed from a flexible plastic material,such as polypropylene. As shown, the puncture member 14 is locatedintermediate the cover 16 and the packet 12. The puncture member 14 hasa pair of generally aligned and spaced arms 40 and 42 on opposed sidesof the packet 12 beneath the cover 16. The arm 40 has a pair of spacedsharp projections 44 directed toward the packet 12, and the arm 42 has apair of spaced sharp projections 46 directed toward the packet 12. Thearm 40 has a pair of openings 48 located adjacent the projections 44,and the arm 42 has a pair of openings 50 located adjacent theprojections 46. The puncture member 14 has a hinge 52 connecting one endof the arms 40 and 42 with the hinge 52 having a lateral flexible region54 adjacent the arm 40 to permit movement of the arms 40 and 42 towardeach other. The projections 44 and 46 are tapered to a sharp point for apurpose which will be described below.

With reference to FIG. 3, the arms 40 and 42 are located on opposedsides of the packet 12, and the hinge 52 is located adjacent one end ofthe packet 12. The arms 40 and 42 are located in a first spaced positionsuch that the projections 44 and 46 do not pierce the packet 12 prior touse of the sponge 10. However, with reference to FIG. 4, when it isdesired to use the sponge 10, the arms 40 and 42 are pressed toward eachother to a second close position such that the projections 44 and 46pierce the opposed walls of the packet 12. After the walls have beenpierced, the scrub agent 28 passes through the walls on opposed sides ofthe packet 12 and through the openings 48 and 50 into the cover 16 inorder to impregnate the cover 16 for use of the sponge 10 on a patient.As shown, the projections 44 on the arm 40 are aligned with the openings50 on the arm 42, such that the openings 50 receive the projections 44,while the projections 46 on the arm 42 are aligned with the openings 48on the arm 40, such that the openings 48 receive the projections 46.However, when the arms 40 and 42 are pressed to their second closeposition, the projections 44 do not pass through the arm 42, and theprojections 46 do not pass through the arm 40 in order to preventscratching of the patient during use of the sponge 10 by the projections44 and 46.

In accordance with the present invention, a scrub sponge 10 may be usedwith an agent 28 which may either be detergent or povidone iodine mixedwith the detergent in order to initially scrub the site of surgery for aquick kill of bacteria in the region of the site. Also, the sponge 10may be utilized with an agent 28 of povidone iodine in order to paintthe surgery site after the scrub has been completed for a long term killof bacteria in the site. For this procedure, with reference to FIG. 3,the sponge 10 preferably has an elongated handle 56 extending from anouter end 58 of the arm 40 and passing through an opening in the cover16 in order to hold the sponge 10 by the handle 56 while performing thepaint procedure.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness ofunderstanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understoodtherefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

We claim:
 1. A scrub sponge, comprising:a packet having a rupturablewall and a closed chamber containing a liquid scrub agent; a cover offoam material having a cavity to receive said packet and enclosing saidpacket; and a puncture member intermediate said cover and the packet andhaving a pair of generally aligned and spaced arms on opposed sides ofthe packet beneath the cover, hinge means connecting said arms adjacentone end of the packet, and at least one sharp projection on each of thearms directed toward the packet to pierce the wall when the arms arepressed toward each other to release the scrub agent into the cover, andan opening extending through the arms adjacent each of the projections.2. The sponge of claim 1 wherein said cover comprises an elongated sheethaving a pair of opposed side edges and a pair of opposed end edgesconnecting the side edges, with said sheet being folded along a line ata longitudinal central portion of the sheet intermediate said end edges,said side edges intermediate the fold line and end edges being joinedtogether, and said end edges being joined together to define the cavity.3. The sponge of claim 2 wherein said packet has a pair of opposed sideedges, and a pair of opposed end edges connecting the side edges, withone of the packet end edges being located adjacent the joined end edgesof the cover, with the other packet end edge being located adjacent thecover fold line, and with the packet side edges being located adjacentthe joined side edges of the cover.
 4. The sponge of claim 1 whereinsaid cover comprises a polyurethane foam.
 5. The sponge of claim 1wherein the walls of said packet comprise a metallic foil.
 6. The spongeof claim 1 wherein said scrub agent comprises povidone iodine.
 7. Thesponge of claim 1 wherein said scrub agent comprises a detergent.
 8. Thesponge of claim 1 wherein said puncture member comprises a flexibleplastic material.
 9. The sponge of claim 1 wherein said projection istapered toward a relatively sharp point.
 10. The sponge of claim 1wherein said packet has a width and length substantially the width andlength of said cavity.
 11. The sponge of claim 1 wherein said openingson one arm are aligned to receive the projections on the other arm. 12.The sponge of claim 1 wherein each of said arms has a pair of spacedsharp projections directed toward the packet, and an opening extendingthrough the arms adjacent each projection.
 13. The sponge of claim 12wherein the projections on one arm are aligned with the openings on theother arm.
 14. The sponge of claim 1 including an elongated handleextending from the puncture member through the cover.
 15. The sponge ofclaim 14 wherein the handle extends from an end of one of the arms. 16.The sponge of claim 1 wherein the hinge means includes a lateralflexible region of reduced thickness adjacent one of the arms.